Bovo speaks with State Attorney about ballot fraud investigation

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban Bovo said he went to the State Attorney's office to address the investigation of an ex-employee suspected of ballot fraud.

MIAMI -

Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban Bovo said he went to the State Attorney's office Thursday afternoon on his own accord to address the investigation of an ex-employee suspected of conducting prohibited campaign activities.

Bovo said he handed over emails and text messages from a former aide he said "went rogue" and became involved in trafficking absentee ballots.

"They made it very clear I am not the target of their investigation," Bovo said.

According to authorities, 164 absentee ballots were collected at Bovo's now-empty Hialeah office by the former aide, Anamary Pedrosa.

Pedrosa was allegedly offering the services of ballot brokers to candidates in the last election.

One of the alleged brokers, Sergio Robaina, was arrested in August. Robaina is the uncle of former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina.

Investigators suspect that Pedrosa would collect absentee ballots from Robaina and take them to the Post Office.

Pedrosa did not answer the door at her listed address Thursday. The attorney who represented her when she spoke to authorities under subpoena said she maintains her innocence.

Bovo said Pedrosa abruptly resigned from his staff in July after he confronted her about her interest in working with politicians, a claim she denied.

"She had talked about an overload of work and even talked about wanting to go to law school," Bovo said.

"I felt it was important for me to walk in there today and sit down and hopefully put and end to whatever could be speculating on my part," he said.

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